This is my article that was published on Yahoo:
David Bowie, Rock 'n' Roll Suicide, 1972
In the teenage brain
smoking creates an increase in the number of nicotine receptor sites.
As a consequence, the brain quickly adapts to the presence of
nicotine and reacts negatively when there is no nicotine uptake. This
means teenagers are more susceptible to addiction - and so the drive
to light-up is very powerful. The majority of smokers began smoking
in their teens, relied on cigarettes whilst going through high school
and/or college or university, and accidentally became fully fledged
addicts by the time they reached their 20s. If you are a smoker who
started later in life, it was probably because of a friend or a new
relationship.
Nicotine has what is
known as a 'biphasic effect'. - This means that it has the ability to
both invigorate and relax, depending on the number and regularity of
cigarettes smoked. Interestingly, studies indicate that the way a
smoker puffs may be linked to their feelings at the time of smoking!
- Taking short, fast drags may tend to heighten nicotine's arousing
properties, whereas long, slow drags may be inclined to elevate
nicotine's sedative characteristics.
On average, a cigarette
contains 8mg of nicotine and will generate from 0.5mg-2mg (depending
on how it is smoked, and if the ventilation holes in the filter are
covered). Cigarettes deliver nicotine extremely quickly, and this
powerful surge has the force to keep you firmly anchored on "Smokers'
Row". - Nicotine rapidly zooms through the blood-brain barrier
and reaches the tissues in the brain shortly after it is absorbed
from a cigarette into the delicate alveoli (air sacs which act as
primary gas exchange units) in the lungs - now the feel good factor
is back!
At this point you are
relaxed, and may feel a positive link between smoking and another
action you are involved in at the time. When the smoke reaches the
lungs, the carbon dioxide replaces the oxygen in the bloodstream.
-This generates a sensation of light-headedness and mild spasm all
over the body. Lack of oxygen makes the heart beat faster and blood
pressure escalate, as the body tries to compensate for the missing
oxygen. Once the high has worn off (after 40 minutes or so when most
of the nicotine has passed from the brain to the other organs), the
body demands another hit.
- Now this is where the
addiction has you on a guillotine. - Physical and mental tension,
unease and agitation set in from all angles as your entire being
cries out for restoration and balance. - The smoking cycle produces a
permanent stress cycle as one cigarette merely 'restrains' the stress
that the last one caused. Addiction to smoking at regular intervals
and in certain situations and places runs like clockwork for regular
smokers. And a personalized style to the way a cigarette is held,
puffed and wafted in the air, is a facet of the enjoyment, social
interaction and addiction.
'I CAN'T GET NO-O
SATISFACTION'!
The Rolling Stones,
1965
Back in Mick Jaggar and
company's hayday, smokers did not seem to know they were being
controlled by their habit. - But just like any addictive substance,
you become more and more addicted, your tolerance level increases,
and you need to smoke more to achieve the same effect, or to negate
the withdrawal symptoms. And you only really think you like the taste
because of the addiction. - Just think how a cigarette tasted when
you lit up for the very first time!
RE-BOOTING
The first cigarette of
the day which often and very detrimentally replaces breakfast,
receives an enthusiastic response from the nerve cells in the brain
which react to the first nicotine rush of the day. (Yahoo readers,
who can successfully cut out this first cigarette of the day, will be
quicker and far more likely to succeed in total cessation).
During the first few
cigarettes of the day nicotine increases the activity of the 'feel
good' chemical messenger dopamine. - It gives the body some
za-za-zoom, and leaves the smoker with a euphoric sensation of
feeling 'up'. - However, what goes up must come down, and the high is
followed by an inevitable rebounding 'low'. As the day moves on, the
flow of nicotine does not have the same effect. - This is because the
nerve cells begin to become de-sensitized. - Now the cigarettes
generate less of a high, and smokers need to heavily re-boot as they
are compelled to puff away even more!
During my quest for a
quit smoking protocol, I considered incarcerated smokers who have
spent years in jails in certain countries around the world, where
cigarettes are not available. - When they were admitted they suffered
the pangs and despair, but lived without cigarettes because they had
no choice. So I would give you the advice I give to all the would-be
quitters who just believe it is completely impossible - think of
those prisoners - whatever their genetic profile, biological,
biochemical, physiological and psychological condition, whatever
their background and life experiences were, and how ever many
nicotinic receptors, misrouted and unbalanced chemical pathways and
disrupted hormones they had - they had to, and did quit.- Always keep
them in your mind.
And as for
non-prisoners, data from the American Lung Association, Ref: Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health
Stastics, National Health Survey Raw Data, 2009, shows estimations
that in 2009, 49.9 million adults were former smokers. - Of course it
was much harder for them because they had 24/7 cigarette access - so
keep them in your mind as well!
Drug addicts,
alcoholics, and cigarette and tobacco addicts have walked away from
their habit. - Determination to keep on trucking and striving for our
goals and aims, trying to do thing better the next time, and learning
from our mistakes and where the pitfalls lie, are all part of the
natural progression of our lives. - Now is the time to quit and to
throw your anchor to a far, far better place!
This is an excerpt from
the international book "The Winning Way to Quit Smoking" by
Shirley Amy BSc., Amazon, 2012. 2nd Edition 2019.
